Lattice pie-topping apparatus

ABSTRACT

A plurality of coplanar diverging belts is provided to receive and gradually expand laterally, individual longitudinally slitted dough-sheets into a lattice form of topping for pies and the like. The diverging belts operate in cooperation with co-rotating slitting knives and guide plates to form and deposit the individual lattice toppings in sequence upon a continuous series of untopped pies carried by a continuously moving conveyor. In a modified form of the apparatus, dough-sheets are slitted transversely and delivered to a more rapidly moving means so as to expand the dough-sheets longitudinally and thereby open the slits and form the lattice topping.

United States Patent 1191 Eisendrath et al.

LATTICE PIE-TOPPING APPARATUS Inventors: David C. Eisendrath, Evanston;

Peter Klykun, Skokie, both of 111.

Assignee: Colborne Manufacturing Company,

Chicago, 111.

Filed: Feb. 10, 1971 Appl. No.: 114,137

Related US. Application Data Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 858,367, Sept. 16, 1969, abandoned.

US. Cl 99/450.1, 83/83, 83/107, 83/332, 83/434, 99/450.3,425/290, 425/297 lnt. Cl. A2lc 11/12 Field of Search 99/92, 450.2, 450.3, 99/450.1; 83/83, 102, 107, 332, 434;

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1959 Casale 425/305 X 6/1961 Egee et al.. 99/4503 2/1965 Engels 83/107 X [451 July 10, 1973 3,318,267 5/1967 Artiaga et al. 425/305 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,497,723 9/1967 France 83/332 Primary Examiner-Robert W. Jenkins Assistant ExaminerAlan.l. Cantor Att0rneyRummler & Snow 57 ABSTRACT A plurality of coplanar diverging belts is provided to receive and gradually expand laterally, individual longi' tudinally slitted dough-sheets into a lattice form of topping for pies and the like. The diverging belts operate in cooperation with co-rotating slitting knives and guide plates to form and deposit the individual lattice toppings in sequence upon a continuous series of untopped pies carried by a continuously moving conveyor. In a modified form of the apparatus, doughsheets are slitted transversely and delivered to a more rapidly moving means so as to expand the dough-sheets longitudinally and thereby open the slits and form the lattice topping.

5 Claims, 16 Drawing Figures PAIENIEU JUL 1 man SEEKING N VE N T0195. 04 W0 0. E ISE NORA 7' H PE TER K LYK UN PAIENIE JUL 1 man SNEEIZBFG HVVENTORS SHEET '4 0F 6 INVENTORS. DAVID C. E ISE NORA TH PETER KLYKU/V LATTICE PIE-TOPPING APPARATUS This application is a continuation-in-part of ourcopending application Ser. No. 858,367 filed Sept. 16, 1969, and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Automatic, continuous food handling and processing machinery has supplemented hand labor to the extent that now there are few steps that are not conducted by machines with more facility than by hand. In the field of bakery goods, machines now handle all of the steps from the weighing and mixing of the ingredients to the application of frosting and trim. The preparation of some bakery goods for the baking process still, however, requires considerable tedioushand labor. The preparation of lattice topped pies is an example. The lattice topping is either formed on the pie by cross layers or strips of dough or cut from a disc of dough by hand-operated cutters. This invention relates particularly to the preparation of the lattice topping or crust for pics and to certain improvements in the mechanism for preparing the lattice topping continuously and automatically.

Automatic pie making machines to which the present invention may be applied are illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 3,129,674 to which reference is made for details concerning the structure and operation of such machines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In its preferred embodiment, this invention concerns an apparatus for use in conjunction with an existing pie making machine which can be readily attached to the pie making machine, and moved into and out of operative position as desired, to intercept pie topping pieces as they are delivered from conventional cross-rolling or sheeter apparatus and to cause them to pass between co-rotating slitting knives and a backing roller and onto multiple belts which thereafter diverge laterally in relation to each other. These diverging belts frictionally engage and spread or expand each slitted pie topping laterally to produce an opened or expanded lattice formation that is deposited or laid upon a respective one of a series of open-face pies as they are produced in sequence by the pie making machine.

The inventive concept involved in this disclosure is to deliver sheeted dough to slitting means adapted to form parallel rows of alternately overlapping slits in the dough and to then pass the slitted dough to means for automatically expanding the dough-sheet transversely of the direction of the slits to an expanded overall lattice form for automatic delivery onto a preformed pie.

The invention is also directed to a form in which the outermost of the multiple belts which diverge laterally in relation to each other are overhung and engaged by the dough-sheet to spread or expand each slitted pie topping laterally to produce the open or expanded lattice formation, to the form of the supporting rollers which carry the dough-sheet expanding belts, to the form of the belts themselves, and to the construction of the said apparatus whereby it can be easily manipulated to release the belts for repair or replacement.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side view of a pie making machine showing the apparatus for making latticed topping pieces in operative position relative to the delivery end of the topping piece cross-sheeter apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the pie machine and lattice topper apparatus shown in FIG. 1 but with the slitter means omitted;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary end view of the pie machine and lattice topper apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary end view of the dough-sheet expanding belts and their rollers, the comb for separating the dough from the slitter knives being removed, showing the relationship of the slitting knives and the main belt roller;

FIG. 5 (sheet 1) is a fragmentary view illustrative of the slitting knives shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of the slitter assembly shown in FIG. 5 with the comb in place;

FIG. 7 is a side view, partially in section, showing the operative relationship of a slitting knife, an expanding belt, the slitter comb, and the entry and delivery guide plates of the sheet expander apparatus;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of one of the side plate assemblies comprising the frame of the dough-sheet expanding apparatus;

FIG. 9 is a sectional elevation of the dough-sheet expander, as taken on line 99 of FIG. 2, but showing the apparatus in the pivoted or partly raised position so that a broken or damaged belt can be replaced;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary side view, in diagrammatic form, illustrating a modified form of dough-sheet expanding apparatus;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 (sheet 3) is a perspective view of a slice of pie after baking with a lattice topping prepared by the device of this invention;

FIG. 13 (sheet 3) is a view illustrating the slit pattern of the apparatus of FIGS. 1-11, inclusive;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary view, greatly enlarged, showing the blunt edge of the splitter blade for cutting a slit in the dough-sheet of such width that it will not weld shut upon contact;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary cross-section view of the expander section showing the outermost belts and the dough-sheet overhang for forceably engaging the spreading the slit dough-sheet; and

FIG. 16 is a fractional perspective view of a modified form of the expander section showing dough-sheet top loading rollers and belts for frictionally spreading the slit dough-sheet.

THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in FIG. 1, there is illustrated the conveyor system at the discharge end of a pie making machine,

including the side frame 10 over which the conveyor 12 travels in the direction of the arrows 14 carrying the pie plates 16in spaced sequence therealong, the individual pie plates being held. in plate-holders 17' mounted on the conveyor 12. It is to be understood that each plate 16 carries a bottom crust 18 containing the required filling 20 (see FIG. 12) and a covering layer or sheet of topping dough which is generally applied to each pie as it passes through the machine. For this purpose, crossrolled generally elongated oval sheets 21 of dough are supplied to the machine by means of the conveyor belt 22 traveling from a conventional cross-sheeter, not

shown. The belt 22 is carried on the roller 23 within a pivoted framework 24 that is selectively movable above the conveyor belt 12 between the raised position shown in FIG. 1 and a lowered position (not shown) wherein the slide or guide plate 25 is positioned above the pie plates 16 so that the dough pieces 21 can be sequentially dropped upon the pies carried by the conveyor 12.

The lattice-topping apparatus of this invention is indicated at 26 and is a complete assembly for direct attachment-to the pie machine frame in such a manner as to be adjustable longitudinally relative to the delivery end of belt 22. To this end, the apparatus 26, which comprises a receiver-slitter section A, an expander section B and depositor slide C, is contained within a sturdy frame having forward and rearward portions pivotedly connected to intermediate tie plates which, in turn, are mounted on individual carrier plates 27 secured to the respective pie machine side frames by suitable bolts 28 extending through elongated mounting slots 29 (see FIGS. 1, 3 and 8). .As shown, the carrier plate 27 also has a pair of elongated slots 30-31 adjacent its upper edge and it is through these slots that the apparatus 26 is mounted to the pie machine, as will be hereinafter described.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the pie machine has a driven shaft 32 supported along the sides of the frame by means of one or more bearings 34 carried within suitable brackets 36 and from which power for the several components of the machine is taken. The shaft 32 carries the miter or pinion gear 38, at a suitable location therealong, and the gear 38 engages a second miter gear 40, rotatably mounted on a jack shaft 42, which extends across the lower part of the pie machine frame, as indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3. This shaft is carried by the bearings 44-45, FIG. 2, and also carries a drive sprocket 46 spaced outwardly from the side of the side frame of the pie machine adjacent the pinion 40.

A drive gear 48 for the topper apparatus is supported from the carrier plate 27 by means of a suitable bearing housing 50 (FIG. 3) attached through a carrier plate bore hole 52 by means of the shaft-bolt 54, secured by a nut 55, and has an inner sprocket 56 affixed to its hub. The drive chain 58 connects, in driving relationship, the aligned sprockets 46 and 56, and a tensioning sprocket or idler 59 (FIGS. 1 and 3) is mounted on the pie machine frame 10 to engage the chain 58 in order to keep the chain taut. The gear 48 engages a second gear 60 affixed to a transverse shaft 62 carried by the pair of bearings 64.

The shaft 62 is mounted on and extends between a pair of forward end plates 65-65', for the topper apparatus frame, through bore holes 66 therein (FIG. 8) and the mounting bolts 68 for the shaft bearings 64 engage through suitable smaller bore holes 70 in this plate. As shown in FIG. 8, the plate 65 is essentially rectangular, except for the. tab or car 72 having the bore hole 74 therein, and the tab 72 has a rounded top edge 76 and a cut-off bottom comer 77, for a purpose to be described. Also, bore holes 78 and80 are provided adjacent the rear end of the plate 65 for mounting the plate in the lattice topper apparatus, as will hereafter appear.

A second or rear-end frame plate 82 is provided with the stepped forward edge 84 (see FIG. 8) having the bore holes 86, 88 and 90 at respective ones of the stepped comers, intermediate bolt holes 92 and 94, and larger holes 96 and 98 for mounting rotatable cross shafts, as will be hereafter described. As shown, each of the cross shaft holes has a pair of bolt holes 100, one on each side, for attaching bearings for the said cross shafts.

Frame plates 65 and 82 are connected together by a frame tie-plate 102. This frame tie-plate has mounting bolt holes 104, 106 and 108 in the forward end, the latter two being in the tab 110, and a central bolt hole 112. The bolt holes 104, 106 and 112 mate with the holes 78, and 74, respectively, in the forward end frame plate 65 and the tie-plate is secured to the forward end frame plate by means of bolts 114, 115 and 1 16, as shown in FIG. 1. A similar set of mounting bolt holes 118, 120, 122 and 124 is provided in the rear portion of the tie-plate 102, the bolt holes 118, and 124 mating with the bolt holes 88, 94 and 90, respectively, in the rear end frame plate 82 and the plates 102 and 82 being secured together by bolts 123, 124 and 125, as shown in FIG. 1. The assembly of the frame plates 65 and 82 with the tie-plate 102 is then mounted to the carrier plate 27 by means of suitable bolts 126 and 127 extending through the carrier plate slots 30 and 31 into the bolt holes 108 and 122, respectively, of the tie-plate 102.

A duplicate assembly of the frame plates and tieplate is mounted on the carrier plate 27' on the opposite side of the pie machine frame, as indicated in FIG. 3, the frame plates being in transversely aligned relationship and the tie-plate 102' being on the inside of the frame plates 65 and 82, as indicated in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the frame plates comprising the side structures of the lattice topper assembly 26 are tied together to provide a rigid frame by means of solid cross bars or tie bars 128, 130, 132, 134 and 136. The tie bar 128 extends between the forward end frame plates 65-65 adjacent the bearings 64-64' and being mounted by means of the bearing mounting bolts 68 and 68', the said bolts being threaded into appropriate bores of the respective ends of the tie bar 128. Tie bar 130 extends between the forward end frame plates 65-65' immediately above the tab portion 110 of the tie-plates 102-102', the tie bar 130 being secured by bolts 130 which extend through bore holes 131 in the respective frame plates 65-65. The tie bars 132 and 134 extend between the tie plates 102 and 102' and are secured by the bolts 116, 116' and 125, 125, respectively, which pass through the holes 74 and 90 of the frame plates and holes 112 and 124 of the tie-plates. And lastly, the tie bar 136 extends between the rear end frame plates 82-82, where it is secured by bolts 137-137 extending through the respective bore holes 92 in the said frame plates.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the lattice pietopper mechanism of this invention comprises a rather rigid frame, mounted directly onto the pie machine frame and spanning the conveyor system 12 which transports plate holders 17 and pies 16 along the production path, for supporting the operating sections A, B and C in position to receive and slit disc-like sheets of dough, spread the dough to lattice form, and then to deposit the formed dough-sheet onto a pie to complete the pie ready for trimming and sealing.

The receiver-slitter assembly of the operating section A is best shown by FIGS. 2, 3, 6 and 7 and comprises a main roller 138 carried on a shaft 139 journaled on bearings 140-140 mounted on the rearward frame members 82-82, respectively. This roller is provided support and expanding belts 144, as shown in FIG. 15,

by a distance at least equal to the diameter of the belt. Overhang 21a supplies the force required to expand the slitted dough-sheet.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, the dough-sheets 21 are delivered sequentially, by the cross-sheeter conveyor 22, to the slide or guide plate 25 which transfers them to the main roller 138 where each sheet is progressively slitted longitudinally and then passed on to the expander section B. The slitter, which works with the main roller 138 to prepare the dough-sheets, comprises a plurality of axially spaced, annular blades 146 having angularly spaced cut-outs 147 to provide a plurality of equally spaced lobes, each of which has a blunt cutting edge 146a as shown in FIG. 14 for cutting a wide slit in the dough-sheet as shown in FIG. 13. In any case, the length of each lobe will be the same as the others and such as to provide a slit of the desired size and length. These blades are mounted on a shaft 148 journaled in bearings 149-149 mounted on the rearward frame plates 82-82. As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6, the blades 146 are equally spaced apart along the shaft 148 and in this embodiment are located to center on the belt grooves 142 and lands 142'. Also, as indicated in FIG. 5, alternate blades are advanced, angularly, so that each lobe of one will be centered with a cut-out 147 on the next. Thus each blade will form a row of longitudinally spaced slits in the dough-sheet with the slits of alternate rows being off-set, longitudinally, a distance equal to one-half the length of the slits or so as to be centered on the spaces between the slits of the next adjacent rows. The wide slits formed by the blunt slitting edges assure that the cuts in the doughsheet will not weld themselves shut before the expanding operation begins.

The blades 146 bear against the opposite belts and lands comprising the working surface of the roller 138, thus cutting through the dough-sheet passing over the roller 138 from the guide-slide 25, and there is a tendency for the dough to cling to the blades and wrap around the slitter. To avoid such action, a comb 150 having fingers 151, extending between the blades 146, is mounted forwardly of the slitter on a cross bar 152 extending between theframe plates 82-82 (FIGS. 1,

3 and 6). As shown, the fingers 151 extend downwardly between the blades 146, on the forward side of the slitter axis, and then curve rearwardly and upwardly on the back side of the slitter axis to provide flat surfaces between the blades which will strip from the blades any dough tending to stick to them.

As the dough-sheet leaves the slitter, it is carried on the surfaces of the belts 144 and in one form of the machine overhangs the outermost belts 144, as shown in FIG. 15, comprising the expander section B of the topping apparatus. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the belts 144 and 144 on each side of the center belt 145 diverge laterally therefrom and run to a depositor roller 6. 154 having grooves spaced apart wider than those of the main roller 138, the roller 154 having peripheral grooves 155 of the same shape and depth as those of the main roller but equally spaced apart axially except for the outermost grooves so as to be uniformly distributed over the length of the roller 154. The outermost belt 144' running in the outermost grooves are substantially parallel with the next adjacent belts and hence the space between the respective grooves 155 in the roller 154 is only about one-half the width of the spaces between the grooves for the remaining belts. It will be apparent, therefore, referring to FIG. 15, that as the slitted overhanging dough-sheet 21 is carried along on the diverging belts 144 and 144', it is progressively and uniformly spread or pulled apart, by overhang 21a, from the center outwardly in a direction transverse the direction of the slits, so as to spread the margins of the slits to form substantially equal diamond shaped openings 156 throughout the dough-sheet 21 as indicated at the right hand end of FIG. 2. This leaves the intervening and criss-crossed dough strips 158 which provide the lattice formation for the desired topping for the pies 16. The delivery section C of the topping apparatus comprises the forward belt-roller 154 and a co-acting guide plate or slide 160 which supports and directs the lattice formed topping, as it leaves the expander section B, to be engaged by the leading margin of the plate, holder 17' and laid or deposited thereon, to cover the pie 16, as the plate holder advances on the conveyor 12 in timed relation with the lineal speed of the topping apparatus.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the depositor roller is mounted on the transverse'shaft 62 to turn therewith and since the main roller shaft 139 is positively driven from the shaft 62, by means of the roller chain 153, the peripheral speed of the two rollers is the same and the belts 144 are not relied upon as part of the power train.

Also, since the roller shaft 62 is positively driven from the main power shaft 32 of the pie machine, by way of the gears 38-40, the roller chain 58, and the gears 48 and 60, the topping apparatus will always be operated in timed relation with the pie machine and its main conveyor 12.

As indicated in FIG. 9, the forward portion of the. topping apparatus can be pivoted upwardly about the common axis of the bolts 116-116 and the cross bar 132, by merely removing the bolts 114-114 and 115-115, in order to slacken the spreader belts 144-145 whenever it may be necessary to repair or replace one or more of them. After the repair is made, the forward part of the apparatus is returned to its normal horizontal positionand the retaining bolts are replaced to secure the frame parts in proper operating condition.

When the improved lattice-topper apparatus is to be mounted on the pie machine, the carrier plates 27-27 are first attached to the sides of the machine by the bolts 28-28 extending through the carrier plate slots 29-29 about midway between the ends thereof. Then the frame assembly is mounted on the carrier plates with bolts 126-l26 and 127-127 at the rear ends of the carrier plate slots 30 and 31, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9; and finally the apparatus is adjusted to proper relation with the delivery slide or guide 25 of the crosssheeter by moving the carrier plates relative to the mounting bolts 28-28 after which the mounting bolts are firmly tightened. This adjustment is final and never changed, except to remove the apparatus from the pie machine 10.

When it is desired to discontinue the production of lattice toppings for the pies made by the machine 10, the bolts 126-126 and 127-127, attaching the topping apparatus to the carrier plates, are-loosened and the frame is shifted forwardly along the carrier plate slots 30-30 and 31-31 until the bolts reach the forward ends thereof. This clears the delivery end of the cross sheeter so that it can be lowered to deliver doughsheets directly onto the pies 16 as they are moved along the conveyor 12 in timed relation with the crosssheeter operation. When lattice pie toppings are again desired, the topping apparatus frame is merely shifted rearwardly until its mounting bolts reach the rear ends of the carrier plate slots. The topping apparatus will then be properly positioned for reception of doughsheets from the cross-sheeter because of the fixed and relatively permanent position of the carrier plates 27-27 on the pie machine 10.

The modification of our invention shown in FIGS. and 11 omits the expander belts and instead slits the dough-sheet transversely of its direction of travel and then directs the sheet to a means moving at a greater speed than the linear speed of the dough-sheet conveyor on which the slitting is done. The illustration of this form of our invention is more or less schematic. However, from which is shown, it will be apparent that as a doughsheet is carried forwardly on the sheeter conveyor 165, it is worked by two slitters 167-169 in order to provide alternately staggered or offset rows of transverse slits. Thus each slitter comprises a drum or cylinder on the periphery of which axially extending, radially projecting slitter blades 171 aremounted. These blades are axially spaced on the respective drums and are of such a length as may be desired for the length and spacing of the slits to be formed in the dough-sheet and, as shown in FIG. 11, the blades on one drum are located relative to the blades on the other drum so as to be centered on the spaces between those on the said other drum. The blades on each drum are angularly spaced twice the distance between the rows of slits to be formed in the dough-sheet and one drum is angularly oriented relative to the other so that its blades will engage the dough-sheet midway between the rows of slits formed by the other. The diameter of the two drums will be such that the angular spacing of the blades 171 will be uniform around the drum periphery and to assure constant angular orientation of the two drums 167 and 169, they are positively connected by a roller chain 173 operating over sprockets 175-177, respectively.

It will be understood that the drums 167 and 169 will be driven at a constant speed such that the speed of the slitting blade edges along their annular path about the respective drum axis will be the same as the lineal speed of the conveyor belt 165, which in this case is the .receiver element of the slitter apparatus Also, the drums 167 and 169 will be so located, relative tothe surface of the conveyor 165, that the cutting edges of the blades 171 will engage the conveyor in such a manner as to cut through the dough-sheet. Preferably the drive for the drums 167 and 169 will be taken from the pie machine power train, as is the sheeter conveyor 165, and one way of doing so would be to drive drum 177 directly from the forward conveyor belt roller 179, as indicated by the chain belt 181 in FIG. 10.

In order to obviate any likelihood of the dough-sheet being wrapped around theslitting drums, stripper belts 183 and 184 are mounted between the respective drums and parallel rollers 185 and 186. These belts run in the spaces between the blades 171 on the respective drums and assure that the slitted dough-sheet will remain on the conveyor 165 for delivery to the spreader section of this slitting apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 10, the spreader section of this modified form of our invention may comprise a pair of rollers and 191 between which the slitted doughsheet is gripped upon delivery from the conveyor 165 over a bridging guide plate 192. Such rollers 190-191 I would be driven in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows, by suitable means not shown, at a periph eral speed greater than the lineal speed of the conveyor 165, but equal to the lineal speed of the pie conveyor 194, so as to expand the sheet in the direction of travel by an amount sufficient to open the-transversely extending slits and thus-produce the lattice formationfor the dough-sheet as it is delivered onto the pies moving beneath the apparatus on the pie machine conveyor 194. Conventional doctor blades 196 and 197 may be disposed to engage the surfaces of the spreaderrollers 190-191 to avoid any tearing of the latticed topping sheet, as it leaves the spreader section, due to the soft dough sticking to the roller surface.

It will be understood that, with this modified form of slitting mechanism, other means for expanding the slitted dough-sheet may be employed. For example, the dough-sheet may be delivered from the slitters 167-169 directly onto a single roller, having a peripheral speed greater than the delivery speed of the sheet, and thence onto a pie moving along the conveyor 194 at the speed of the said single roller; or the slitted dough-sheet may even be delivered from the conveyor 165, on which the slitting is done, directly onto a pie moving on the conveyor 194 at a speed sufficiently greater than that of the conveyor 165 as to provide the desired extent or shape of the openings in the expanded sheet.

A further modification of our invention shown in FIG. 16 omits the overhang of the dough-sheet over the outermost belts as the principal source of spreading pull for expanding the slitted dough-sheet and substitutes dough-sheet top-loading rollers 138a and 1540 and belts 144a and 144a, respectively. Dough-sheet, top-loading belts 144a run along complementary divergent paths with respect to support belts 144, and toploading 144a and pull belts 144 run along complementary divergent paths with respect to support and pull belts 144', to give the frictional spreading pull needed to expand the slitted dough-sheet to the lattice form.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that our latticetopper apparatus is an auxiliary device for automatic pie making machines which operates continuously to accept continuous or individual dough-sheets as they are delivered from any suitable sheeting means, to slit the sheets to form alternately offset rows of slits in a substantially over-all pattern, and then to expand the slitted sheets tranversely of the lengthwise direction of the slits to open the slits and thereby create a lattice formation; and finally to deposit the lattice formed sheets to cover each of a continuously moving series of pies as they travel along the production path of the pie machine. All of this is done automatically thereby obviating any need for manual operation and providing for the manufacture of lattice-topped pies by conventional automatic pie machine machinery without the addition of labor cost beyond the initial set-up of the pie making machine for the kind and type of pie to be produced.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that the details of construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for making lattice topping for pies adapted for mounting on the frame of a pie-making machine as a separable auxiliary thereof comprising means for transporting a doughsheet along a predetermined path; slitting means for forming parallel rows of longitudinally-spaced slits in the dough-sheet with the slits of alternate rows being offset longitudinallly so as to be adjacent the spaces between the slits of the next adjacent rows, said slitting means comprising a plurality of generally circular, axially spaced cutting blades mounted on a rotary shaft turning on an axis parallel with the plane of the doughsheet and normal to the said predetermined path, each of said cutting blades having at least one lobe having a cutting edge of the length of the desired slit, and alternate cutting blades having their cutting edge lobes advanced angularly relative to the lobes of the next adjacent blades; means for driving said rotary shaft so that the peripheral speed of the cutting edges of said lobes is substantially the same as the lineal speed of said doughsheet as it travels along said path; means for engaging the slitted doughsheet transverse to said slits to progressively pull the sheet in this transverse direction and to expand it laterally to open the said slits to a diamond-shaped configuration as the doughsheet travels said predetermined path, the last named means comprising first and second rollers spaced apart lengthwise of the machine and journalled on parallel axes in a supporting frame structure and having a plurality of axially-spaced support belts running between them, said belts diverging from each other as they run from the first roller to the second roller, and dough-sheet overhang means for use in connection with said support belts for lateral engagement of the slitted doughsheet thereon.

2. An apparatus for making lattice topping for pies adapted for mounting on the frame of a pie-making machine as a separable auxiliary thereof as in claim 1 wherein the dough-sheet overhang means for use. in connection with said support belts for lateral engagement of the slitted dough-sheet thereon is comprised of dough-sheet being of a width to sufficiently overhang the outermost of said support belts to laterally pull and expand the dough-sheet transverse of the direction-of travel along said path.

3. In an automatic pie-making machine having a plate conveyor for carrying individual pie plates held in plate holders mounted thereon, and a conventional crosssheeter for supplying sheets of dough to a means for transporting the dough-sheet along a predetermined path paralleling said conveyor, the combination with said pie-making machine of the apparatus of claim 2 for making lattice topping for the pies on the pie-making machine.

4. In an automatic pie-making machine having a plate conveyor for carrying individual pie plates held in plate holders mounted thereon, and a conventional crosssheeter for supplying sheets of dough to a means for transporting the dough-sheet along a predetermined path paralleling said conveyor, the combination with said pie-making machine of the apparatus of claim 1 for making lattice topping for the pies on the pie-making port belts running thereon. 

1. Apparatus for making lattice topping for pies adapted for mounting on the frame of a pie-making machine as a separable auxiliary thereof comprising means for transporting a doughsheet along a predetermined path; slitting means for forming parallel rows of longitudinally-spaced slits in the dough-sheet with the slits of alternate rows being offset longitudinallly so as to be adjacent the spaces between the slits of the next adjacent rows, said slitting means comprising a plurality of generally circular, axially spaced cutting blades mounted on a rotary shaft turning on an axis parallel with the plane of the doughsheet and normal to the said predetermined path, each of said cutting blades having at least one lobe having a cutting edge of the length of the desired slit, and alternate cutting blades having their cutting edge lobes advanced angularly relative to the lobes of the next adjacent blades; means for driving said rotary shaft so that the peripheral speed of the cutting edges of said lobes is substantially the same as the lineal speed of said doughsheet as it travels along said path; means for engaging the slitted doughsheet transverse to said slits to progressively pull the sheet in this transverse direction and expand it laterally to open the said slits to a diamond-shaped configuration as the doughsheet travels said predetermined path, the last named means comprising first and second rollers spaced apart lengthwise of the machine and journalled on parallel axes in a supporting frame structure and having a plurality of axially-spaced support belts running between them, said belts diverging from each other as they run from the first roller to the second roller, and doughsheet overhang means for use in connection with said support belts for lateral engagement of the slitted doughsheet thereon.
 2. An apparatus for making lattice topping for pies adapted for mounting on the frame of a pie-making machine as a separable auxiliary thereof as in claim 1 wherein the dough-sheet overhang means for use in connection with said support belts for lateral engagement of the slitted dough-sheet thereon is comprised of dough-sheet being of a width to sufficiently overhang the outermost of said support belts to laterally pull and expand the dough-sheet transverse of the direction of travel along said path.
 3. In an automatic pie-making machine having a plate conveyor for carrying individual pie plates held in plate holders mounted thereon, and a conventional cross-sheeter for supplying sheets of dough to a means for transporting the dough-sheet along a predetermined path paralleling said conveyor, the combination with said pie-making machine of the apparatus of claim 2 for making lattice topping for the pies on the pie-making machine.
 4. In an automatic pie-making machine having a plate conveyor for carrying individual pie plates held in plate holders mounted thereon, and a conventional cross-sheeter for supplying sheets of dough to a means for transporting the dough-sheet along a predetermined path paralleling said conveyor, the combination with said pie-making machine of the apparatus of claim 1 for making lattice topping for the pies on the pie-making machine.
 5. An apparatus for making lattice topping for pies as defined by claim 1 wherein the rotary shaft carrying said axially-spaced cutting blades is mounted directly above and axially parallel with the first of the rollers which have the axially-spaced support belts running between them, and the axial spacing of the cutting blades is such that they cut through the said doughsheet and against the surfaces of the said first roller and the support belts running thereon. 